“Thanks,” said Jack, forming for what felt like the first smile in ages.
“Look, don’t worry, if we are successful, I’m sure they’ll come round eventually.”
“I hope so,” said Jack.
“You’ll see,” said Vyleria. “Now are you ready for one final fling?”
“You read my mind.” So beautiful, so lovely, so fragile. Jack wanted to hold her tight and never let go.
He charged into the mechanized mass in front of him, cutting with his sword, shooting with his pistol. The dreadnuts died in their hundreds, thousands, Vyleria at his side, just like he had always wanted her to be.
It was just a game, an illusion, a pale reflection of the terrors to come, but in that moment, he was the happiest boy alive.
“We should practice some more,” said Vyleria half an hour later. “We almost re-took New York then.
Jack shook his head. “Leave it. Let’s get some rest, recuperate.”
“But you said earlier that the war could be upon us in hours; we need every chance we can get.”
“That’s right, I did,” said Jack. “But that’s all the more reason for us to relax, have some fun, leave the war behind for a while; we may never have a chance like this again.”
“He’s right,” said Padget, flicking some metal from his chest. “I know a great place to go on safari; you ready Kat?”
“What? Are they an item now?” said Jack, watching Padget and Kat bounce down the corridor together.
Vyleria raised her eyebrows. “It’s obvious.”
“It is?”
Vyleria shook her head. Bangs like fire. “That’s what I like about you Jack, you are so innocent, so charming.” She took him by the hand.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” she said, standing on her tiptoes and kissing him gently on the lips.
“Err thanks,” said Jack, cheeks turning the colour of ripe tomatoes.
“There’s more where that came from,” she said, walking through the door. “Follow me.”
“This isn’t what I thought you had in mind,” said Jack.
“What do you mean?” said Vyleria booting a football at his head.
Jack ducked as the ball flew over his shoulders and into a bulging net. “Oh nothing,” said Jack, trying not to sound disappointed.
“Come on,” she said, catching the football as it bounced magically from the net. “Headers and volleys. First to five wins.”
“But who are we going to play with? Two isn’t enough and we need a goalkeeper.”
“Look again,” she said, her fire-red hair tussled by the cool Rockingdale breeze.
The space in front of Jack shimmered with light. In front of the goal stood a giant of a goalkeeper, followed by several outfield players.
“But Vyleria that’s…”
“Pele, Maradona, Beckham, Lineker, Gerrard, Beckenbauer, Schmeichel,” she beamed. “I wanted to make this memorable. This will be our last game for quite some time. Happy?”
“Yes,” he said, scarcely able to stop gawping. “Over the moon. These guys are my heroes.”
“I know,” she said, cheeks turning the colour of plums. “but don’t let that distract you. The loser pays a forfeit.”
“Which is?” asked Jack, imagining himself blasted into outer space or else washing dishes for an eternity.
“All in good time,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, before volleying the ball into the net. “One nil.”
“Hey, that’s not fair.”
“Neither is life,” said Vyleria as Peter Schmeichel tossed the ball back out towards Pele. “But that doesn’t mean you stop trying; now come on, if I score a second you’ve no chance.”
“Sure thing,” said Jack chesting a pass from Steven Gerrard onto Maradona’s head. He ran onto the return, booting the ball past the flailing goalkeeper. “I’ve practiced since last we played.”
“I’m counting on it,” she said as she shoulder-charged him to the turf. “Life would be dull otherwise.”
Jack sank to his knees as the ball soared past a despairing Schmeichel and thudded into the net. Vyleria jumped into the air and twirled with joy. “Yes!” she yelled. “Victory!”
Jack couldn’t believe it. It had stood at four apiece for almost half an hour, his diving header having equalized the score. Sweat poured down his head, his mouth was wracked with thirst.
“Now that was what I call a game!” said Vyleria, standing over him. “You’re right, you have been practicing.”
“Not enough obviously,” said Jack, rising to his feet. “You’re almost as good as them.” He looked towards the superstars. Nothing but windblown grass. “Hey, where did they go?”
“It’s our time now,” said Vyleria, squeezing him by the hand.
“What do you mean?” asked Jack, his insides squirming with electricity.
“You’ll see,” she said, leading him by the hands. “You did lose after all and I have to extract my punishment. Close your eyes.”
“Why? What are you going to do?”
“Just do it,” she said, smiling at him coyly.
“Okay fine,” he said. What was she playing at? If I get left on some asteroid again…
Jack opened his eyes on a semi-darkened room, purple curtains gently blowing over a large king-sized bed. “Oh…”
“I’m sorry it’s taken so long,” she said, voice barely a whisper. “It’s just that with the war and what happened to my planet we’ve never had much time to ourselves.”
“It’s okay,” said Jack, surprised to hear a tremor in his voice. “I’ve been busy too with…” But he didn’t know what else to say. The words felt foolish in his head. Nothing could express how he felt at that moment.
“I have to tell you about Jorge,” said Vyleria, voice almost breaking. “Lava man. What he did to me, what he made me do… I wasn’t sure… didn’t want…”
“Shh,” said Jack, resting her chin in his hands, kissing her on the forehead. “I don’t care about that, about him; it’s in the past now.”
“But I wanted you to be the first, the only one, but now…”
“What’s done is done,” said Jack, looking her in the eyes. Again, that melting feeling. “It can’t be helped. He tricked you, put you under his spell; you weren’t to blame. And even if you were it wouldn’t matter; you’re here now – with me – that’s all that matters.”
“Oh Jack,” she said, a purple river trickling down her cheek. “You’re the best.”
“I know,” he said, trying to laugh.
“Oy, you’re not supposed to say that,” she said, still crying.
“Relax, I’m joking,” he said, kissing her softly on the nose, cheeks, lips. Just like a rose… “Now what were you saying about a forfeit earlier?”
She smiled again, tears obliterated in an instant. “Take off your clothes,” she said.
“What?”
“You heard me,” she said. “This is your penalty for losing the game. Are you embarrassed?”
“Yes,” he said, scarcely able to stop blushing.
“Well then I guess I’ll have to do it for you,” she said, voice a whisper, hands probing his spacesuit, then his taut muscles. Jack felt warm all over, every cell tingled with electricity.
His spacesuit fell to the ground soundlessly. Vyleria smiled, hands around his naked waist, stroking his chest. “Aren’t you going to open your eyes?” she said.
Jack opened them and looked down at her. She was absolutely beautiful. “I love you,” he said, a tingling sensation spreading across his abdomen, between his thighs.
“I know,” she smiled, shoulders bared as she slipped off her spacesuit and walked towards the bed.
Jack followed her, nestling beside her as a sliver of moonlight caressed their naked bodies. Their bodies touched, merged, heat passing between them like torches.
“Vyleria…”
“Shh,” she said, pulling him closer, “our bodies can do the ta
lking now.”
Chapter Thirty-One: Walls
The man hacked through the bushes with his machete, the boom of a big bass drum echoing in the distance.
He glanced to his left, right. Saw other eyes, faces. They moved through the trees in unison, what little sunlight there was jagging off the muzzles of their rifles. The heat was oppressive, his green shirt was stuck to his slender chest like glue.
The drum beat was louder now, intermixed with snorting, grating sounds. The man fingered his rifle, checked the safety for the thousandth time, carried on. Not much longer now.
The sound of the drums rose to a sudden violent crescendo, then stopped.
The man stepped into a clearing, surrounded by towering Moabi trees. Their shadows were lengthening in the late afternoon sun. Sweat streaked down his forehead, splattered some leaves at his feet.
There was a small black mass of fur nuzzled against the side of a tree, its puny lips curled up into a snarl.
Suddenly there was an almighty crash and a huge roar as a black mass of bones and sinew charged towards him.
The man raised his rifle, aimed, fired.
Nothing happened.
He tried again, letting off several rounds at once. Other rifles rang out, the rainforest echoing with their metallic roar.
The gorilla continued to charge, its huge white molars bared into an almighty snarl. When it was six feet away it leapt into the air, fists swiping at their heads, only to bounce off some invisible barrier and crash back down to the ground.
More shots rang out. Other gorillas poured out of the jungle, their throats issuing thunder.
“Turn around now and promise never to come back.”
A green-skinned boy with bright orange hair stood before them. Though he was quite small, he was nonetheless stout and muscly. He was stood on what looked like a floating slab of silver. He peered down at them like Caesar.
“Who are you?” asked one of the men.
“Who I am is not important,” said the boy. “But I’m all that stands between you and these gorillas; poaching is illegal in this park.”
There was a loud crack, followed by a metallic pinging sound. What looked like a flattened bullet flopped to the ground.
“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear,” said the boy. “One word from me and you’re history.”
There were more gorillas in the clearing now, chests bared, jaws gaping. Their eyes blazed with fire.
The sound of a machine gun suddenly filled the air, followed by a couple of rifles.
A brown blur descended from the top of the Moabi trees, landing in the middle of the men. The girl had dark brown skin and bright orange eyes; she shimmered with electricity. “Give them what they want,” she said to the boy. “Let them have the Gorillas.”
“But Kat…”
“Just a taster,” said Kat, grinning widely. “Something for them to remember us by… and them.”
Padget smiled. “Of course,” he said, tapping away at a metallic device on his wrist.
Several gorillas suddenly charged through the undergrowth, leaping headlong at the men. Whatever had held them back earlier was now no longer working. Rifles clicked, fired but to no effect. Just as the gorillas were about to pounce onto the poachers an invisible force flung them backwards. They looked like they wanted to attack the men again, only to loiter in the foliage. Their eyes smoldered.
“Your presence is tolerated here for now,” said Padget. “But if you do not vacate this clearing in the next thirty seconds I will remove the energy shield and let the gorillas have some fun; goodness knows they deserve it after what you’ve done to them.”
“What do you know about it?” asked one of the poachers. “We have families to feed, homes to go back to. What are we supposed to do now?”
“Figure out a way to get along with the gorillas without killing them. Ten seconds.”
“What?”
“Eight, seven…”
The gorillas were growling, snarling.
“Six, five.”
There was a flurry of shouting from the men, followed by a stampede of panicked feet. In seconds the clearing was deserted.
“You did it,” said Kat. “You saved the gorillas.”
Padget nodded, smiled, reached for her hand. “It used to be you down there,” she said avoiding his grasp. “There was a time not too long ago when you saw animals and everything else in the universe as something to own and use as you saw fit.”
Padget grimaced. “Yes, and where did that get me? Abandoned by my father and near gutted by my brother. No, I have to change, for the better.”
“But what about those men?”
“What about them?”
“Won’t they come back?”
“In all likelihood, yes,” said Padget, shaking his head. “My little trick today will only scare them so long. Either they will come back in a few weeks or months, or others will take their place.”
“Then what?”
“We need to improvise,” said Padget, feverishly tapping away at his holo-watch. A metal ball about the size of a pin head appeared in front of them. It began to get bigger and bigger until eventually it was as large as a basketball, then it flashed a variety of colours and headed up towards the tree canopy.
“What’s that?” asked Kat.
“My insurance policy,” said Padget, grinning. “It will protect these gorillas and other animals like them, but it will also incentivise the poachers to switch trades.”
“Incentivise?”
“Any person who trespasses in this forest with the intent to maim and murder will receive an electric shock. The more they resist the higher the pain threshold. In time the poaching will stop...”
“But won’t the people starve? How else will they make their money?”
“They will have to learn to work with the animals, not endanger them; in time they may even become guides for tourists. It’s surprising how much money can be made from preserving nature, instead of killing it.”
“Yes, I can see that,” said Kat, smiling first at the gorillas, then at Padget.
“Where are you going now?” asked Padget. “Back to the chimpanzees?”
She nodded. “I can come with you if you like,” said Padget, stroking her arm.
Kat flinched. “I’m sorry,” said Padget, “I didn’t mean to…”
“No, it’s not you, it’s me. I… I’m not ready…” Her cheeks were wet with tears.
“I realise it must be hard after all that happened to you… after what he did.”
“Don’t mention him!” she snapped. “Don’t say his name.”
“But he’s dead now, you killed him…”
“Yes, I killed the extractor,” said Kat, bursting into tears again, “but what he did to me will last a lifetime, I’m not sure that I will ever get over it to be honest. I’m sorry that I can’t be the kind of girlfriend you want…”
“But you are; don’t you see that? Just being with me now is enough.”
“But you’ll want more later and… and… I’m not sure that I can give it to you; I may never change Padget, I may never get better.”
“I’ll wait then,” said Padget, squeezing her fingers gently. “As long as is necessary; I love you and there’s nothing that you can do to change that.”
“You… you love me?”
“Of course; how could I not?”
“But I’m a mess,” she said, wiping her eyes.
“No, you’re my mess and I’m not going to give up on you that easily. For now, I’m just glad to share this space with you, all the other stuff can wait.”
“But that’s what I’m saying Padget; I may never be ready, I can’t stand being touched… even by you.”
“Well then I’ll wait for an eternity,” said Padget.
“You don’t mean that; how could you?”
“Of course, I mean it; after I’d been stabbed by my brother, when I was bleeding out on the floor like a slab of red meat you were all I c
ould think of – I thought I’d let you down and that I’d never see you again. I realised then that I loved you and I promised myself that if I ever got out of that mess that I’d come and find you and try to make things right. Jack rescued me soon after and now here I am a boy on his knees trying to make you realise how much I love you.”
“I…”
“So, take your time,” said Padget. “I’m lucky to have gotten this much as it is. I’ll wait forever if need be, but right now all I want to do is go with you to see these chimpanzees. Can I at least do that?”
Kat nodded.
“Good,” said Padget. “Lead the way.”
Kat smiled, eyes glistening like puddles of water after a summer shower, before clambering up one of the Moabi trees. Padget followed her into the tree canopy, heart beating quicker than ever.
Chapter Thirty-Two: The Hunt
Grunt stalked through the dark forest, a few arrows of sunlight spearing through the tangled branches. Fingers of steam rose-up from the undergrowth and twirled towards the dim sky, a huge gas giant occupying most of the horizon.
He was close now, he could feel it. The hairs on his arms and back rose in anticipation.
Behind him a branch snapped. Something moist grazed his neck, shoulders. He tried to turn but felt weak and groggy. His legs buckled beneath him. He looked-up and saw a dark blur descend from the treetops. What felt like soft, spongy arms folded round him and lifted him upwards. He blacked out.
Grunt’s eyes popped open. Wherever he was it was dark. Something was attached to the top of his head and what felt like a leathery tongue was probing his eyes, ears, mouth. He grasped around for purchase, pulling his head out of whatever it was stuck in. He stared at a nebulous blue twilight, the gas giant’s rings shimmering in the evening sunshine. He tried to run, but his legs wouldn’t move. He looked down. He was knee-deep in a black soil-like substance. It stuck to him like glue, held him fast like cement, stank like puke. He thrust his hands into whatever was holding him, desperate to wrench himself free but then they too became stuck. Soon he was completely paralysed. He looked like a melted figurine.
Jack Strong and The Last Battle Page 12